Some 74 percent of Americans suffer back pain at least once a year, and 13 percent experience such pain daily. For many, the problem is chronic. Indeed, 54 percent of back-pain sufferers say they've had the problem for five years or more.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is more than just the latest manufacturing fad. It promises to transform the way that many types of products are designed, assembled and serviced.

Capturing and controlling reliable production line data is the great mystery underlying the fulfillment of the promise of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Beyond storage solutions, the data that’s available on machines hasn’t been communicated correctly with business systems. Accepted solutions for data exchange create organizational conflicts and security issues that raise difficult barriers.

Manufacturing execution systems (MES) are critical elements of Industry 4.0. When all production processes are linked and synchronized with the overall operation, manufacturers have a strategic tool that enables them to improve productivity, streamline costs, boost quality and reduce time to market.

Sometimes, a new supplier of assembly technology is created by an OEM when it can’t seem to find existing technology to meet its needs.

Airline passengers may not be familiar with the manufacturer SAFRAN Landing Systems (SLS). But, for the past decade, the company’s braking, landing and monitoring systems have enabled millions of passengers to arrive safely at their destinations.

If you can’t see it, you can’t measure it, and if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it! This is the simple mantra of successful manufacturers the world over. Manufacturing excellence can only come from manufacturing visibility.

It is rare for CEOs of competing airlines to be passengers on the same flight. But, that’s exactly what happened June 3, 2016, on SWISS Airlines’ flight BBA505, from Dublin to Zurich.

Approximately 2 percent of adults aged 45 to 54 have disabling hearing loss. That rate increases to 8.5 percent for adults aged 55 to 64, 25 percent for those aged 65 to 74, and 50 percent for those who are 75 and older.